After the Dance (song): Difference between revisions

"After the Dance"
"After the Dance"
Single by Marvin Gaye
from the album I Want You
B-side	"Feel All My Love Inside"
Released	July 15, 1976
Recorded	September 1975 – March 1976
Studio	Marvin Gaye Studios (Los Angeles, California); Motown Recording Studios (Hollywood, California)
Genre	Soul, funk, downtempo
Length	3:30 (single version); 4:40 (album version);
Label	Tamla
Songwriter(s)	Marvin Gaye, Leon Ware
Producer(s)	Marvin Gaye, Leon Ware
Marvin Gaye singles chronology

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"After the Dance" is a slow jam recorded by singer Marvin Gaye and released as the second single off Gaye's 1976 hit album I Want You. Though it received modest success, the song was widely considered to be one of Gaye's best ballads^[1] and served as part of the template for quiet storm and urban contemporary ballads that came afterwards.^[2]

Overview

Written by Gaye and his co-producer Leon Ware, the song narrates a moment where the author noticed a woman on Soul Train and convinces her to "get together" after the two shared a dance.^[1] Throughout the entire I Want You album, which was dedicated to Marvin's live-in lover Janis Hunter (who wrote a 2015 memoir entitled After the Dance: My Life with Marvin Gaye),^[3] the narrator — Gaye — brings up the dance concept in songs such as "Since I Had You".^[4]^[5]

The song also served in a funky instrumental, which included a synthesizer solo performed by Gaye^[1]^[6] just days before the master mix of the I Want You album was due at Motown.^[7] The instrumental version received a nomination at the 1977 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Instrumental Song.^[8]

Record World praised Gaye's "strong performance" of the song.^[9]

The song was Gaye's lowest-peaked pop single for the first time in 13 years since the B-side of his "Can I Get a Witness" titled "I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby", peaking at number 74,^[10] ironically three places higher than "I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby", while it was a bigger success on the R&B chart, peaking at number 14.^[1]^[6]

Recording

The basic track of "After the Dance" was recorded for Gaye with the working title "Don't You Wanna Come?" in September 1975.^[6]

The overdubbing sessions took place between January 1976 to March 1976.^[6]^[7]

Covers

The song has since been covered by a legion of jazz vocalists and groups including Fourplay, who covered it with longtime Gaye admirer, R&B singer El DeBarge, in 1991.^[11] Their version was released as a single that year and re-introduced newer listeners to Gaye's original.^[12]

Hall & Oates covered the song on their 2004 album Our Kind of Soul.^[13]

Personnel

Personnel per David Ritz and Harry Weinger.^[6]^[7]

Lead, background vocals, piano and synthesizer by Marvin Gaye
Instrumentation by various studio musicians, some of which include, drummer James Gadson and flutist Ernie Watts (featured on the instrumental version)
Orchestral arrangements by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson
Rhythm arrangements by Leon Ware
Produced by Leon Ware and Marvin Gaye
Recording engineering by Art Stewart and Fred Ross

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Guarisco, Donald (December 12, 2022). "Review of After the Dance". AllMusic. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
^ Singleton, Mya (October 7, 2022). "25 songs with 'dance' in the title". Yardbarker. Retrieved October 20, 2022. The smooth sound of Marvin Gaye's voice is sure to take any listener to another realm. That's the feeling when hearing his 1978 single "After The Dance." Gaye gives listeners the perfect quiet storm vibe on the track, as he details seeing a woman on the dance floor and hoping to "get together after the dance."
^ Lary Wallace, "Marvin’s Muse", Los Angeles Review of Books, September 18, 2015.
^ Torres (2003)
^ "Marvin Gaye - Since I Had You Lyrics". musiXmatch. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Ritz (2003)
^ ^a ^b ^c Weinger (2003)
^ "19th Annual GRAMMY Awards". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
^ "Hits of the Week". Record World. August 7, 1976. p. 1.
^ "Marvin Gaye". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
^ After the Dance by El DeBarge, Fourplay - Track Info | AllMusic, retrieved 2022-12-12
^ "After the Dance" at SecondHandSongs.
^ Daryl Hall & John Oates - Our Kind of Soul Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2022-12-12

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[:0-1] Guarisco, Donald (December 12, 2022). "Review of After the Dance". AllMusic. Retrieved December 12, 2022.

[2] Singleton, Mya (October 7, 2022). "25 songs with 'dance' in the title". Yardbarker. Retrieved October 20, 2022. The smooth sound of Marvin Gaye's voice is sure to take any listener to another realm. That's the feeling when hearing his 1978 single "After The Dance." Gaye gives listeners the perfect quiet storm vibe on the track, as he details seeing a woman on the dance floor and hoping to "get together after the dance."

[3] Lary Wallace, "Marvin’s Muse", Los Angeles Review of Books, September 18, 2015.

[4] Torres (2003)

[5] "Marvin Gaye - Since I Had You Lyrics". musiXmatch. Retrieved 2022-12-12.

[:1-6] Ritz (2003)

[:2-7] Weinger (2003)

[8] "19th Annual GRAMMY Awards". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2022-12-12.

[9] "Hits of the Week". Record World. August 7, 1976. p. 1.

[10] "Marvin Gaye". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-12-12.

[11] After the Dance by El DeBarge, Fourplay - Track Info | AllMusic, retrieved 2022-12-12

[12] "After the Dance" at SecondHandSongs.

[13] Daryl Hall & John Oates - Our Kind of Soul Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2022-12-12

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{for|the play by [[Terence Rattigan]]|After the Dance (play)}}
-{{Refimprove|date=April 2021}}
 {{Infobox song
-| name       = After The Dance
+| name          = After the Dance
-| cover      =
+| cover         = After the Dance - Marvin Gaye.jpeg
-| alt        =
+| alt           =
-| type       = single
+| type          = single
-| artist     = [[Marvin Gaye]]
+| artist        = [[Marvin Gaye]]
-| album      = [[I Want You (Marvin Gaye album)|I Want You]]
+| B-side        = Feel All My Love Inside
+| album         = [[I Want You (Marvin Gaye album)|I Want You]]
-| released   = 1976
+| released      = July 15, 1976
-| recorded   = 1975, Marvin Gaye Studios ([[Los Angeles, California]])<br>Motown Recording Studios ([[Hollywood, California]])
+| recorded      = September 1975 – March 1976
-| studio     =
+| studio        = Marvin Gaye Studios ([[Los Angeles, California]])<br>Motown Recording Studios ([[Hollywood, California]])
-| venue      =
-| genre      = [[soul music|Soul]], [[funk]], [[downtempo]]
+| venue         =
+| genre         = [[soul music|Soul]], [[funk]], [[downtempo]]
-| length     = 3:30
+| length        =
+* 3:30 (single version)
-| label      = [[Motown Records|Tamla]]
+* 4:40 (album version)
-| writer     = Marvin Gaye, [[Leon Ware]]
+| label         = [[Motown Records|Tamla]]
-| producer   = Marvin Gaye, Leon Ware
-| prev_title = [[I Want You (Marvin Gaye song)|I Want You]]
+| writer        = Marvin Gaye, [[Leon Ware]]
+| producer      = Marvin Gaye, Leon Ware
-| prev_year  = 1976
-| next_title = [[Since I Had You]]
+| prev_title    = [[I Want You (Marvin Gaye song)|I Want You]]
-| next_year  = 1976
+| prev_year     = 1976
+| next_title    = [[Since I Had You]]
+| next_year     = 1976
 }}
-"'''After the Dance'''" is a [[slow jam]] recorded by singer [[Marvin Gaye]] and released as the second single off Gaye's hit album ''[[I Want You (Marvin Gaye album)|I Want You]]'' (1976). Though it received modest success, the song was widely considered to be one of Marvin's best ballads and served as part of the template for [[quiet storm]] and [[urban contemporary]] ballads that came afterwards.
+"'''After the Dance'''" is a [[slow jam]] recorded by singer [[Marvin Gaye]] and released as the second single off Gaye's 1976 hit album ''[[I Want You (Marvin Gaye album)|I Want You]].'' Though it received modest success, the song was widely considered to be one of Gaye's best ballads<ref name=":0" /> and served as part of the template for [[quiet storm]] and [[urban contemporary]] ballads that came afterwards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/25_songs_with_dance_in_the_title|title=25 songs with 'dance' in the title|last=Singleton|first=Mya|publisher=[[Yardbarker]]|quote=The smooth sound of Marvin Gaye’s voice is sure to take any listener to another realm. That’s the feeling when hearing his 1978 single “After The Dance.” Gaye gives listeners the perfect quiet storm vibe on the track, as he details seeing a woman on the dance floor and hoping to “get together after the dance.”|date=October 7, 2022|accessdate=October 20, 2022}}</ref>
 ==Overview==
-Written by Marvin Gaye and his co-producer [[Leon Ware]], the song narrates a moment where the author noticed a woman on ''[[Soul Train]]'' and convinces the girl to "get together" after the two shared a dance. Throughout the entire ''I Want You'' album, which was dedicated to Marvin's live-in lover Janis Hunter (who wrote a 2015 memoir entitled ''After the Dance: My Life with Marvin Gaye''),<ref>Lary Wallace, [https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/marvins-muse/#! "Marvin’s Muse"], ''[[Los Angeles Review of Books]], September 18, 2015.</ref> the narrator — Gaye — brings up the dance concept in songs such as "[[Since I Had You]]". The song also served in a funky instrumental, which included a [[synthesizer]] solo performed by Marvin, who also played piano on the song and the entire album itself. The instrumental version received a nomination at the 1977 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Instrumental Song.
+Written by Gaye and his co-producer [[Leon Ware]], the song narrates a moment where the author noticed a woman on ''[[Soul Train]]'' and convinces her to "get together" after the two shared a dance.<ref name=":0" /> Throughout the entire ''I Want You'' album, which was dedicated to Marvin's live-in lover Janis Hunter (who wrote a 2015 memoir entitled ''After the Dance: My Life with Marvin Gaye''),<ref>Lary Wallace, [https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/marvins-muse/#! "Marvin’s Muse"], ''[[Los Angeles Review of Books]], September 18, 2015.</ref> the narrator — Gaye — brings up the dance concept in songs such as "[[Since I Had You]]".<ref>Torres (2003)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Marvin Gaye - Since I Had You Lyrics |url=https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Marvin-Gaye/Since-I-Had-You |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=musiXmatch |language=en}}</ref>
+The song also served in a funky instrumental, which included a [[synthesizer]] solo performed by Gaye<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Guarisco |first=Donald |date=December 12, 2022 |title=Review of After the Dance |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/after-the-dance-mt0008883149?cc481acc2ac3a45829711177aadf90d5 |access-date=December 12, 2022 |website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref><ref name=":1">Ritz (2003)</ref> just days before the master mix of the ''I Want You'' album was due at Motown.<ref name=":2">Weinger (2003)</ref> The instrumental version received a nomination at the 1977 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Instrumental Song.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/19th-annual-grammy-awards |title=19th Annual GRAMMY Awards |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=www.grammy.com}}</ref>
-The single came out on the strength of its success as a double-A side on the ''[[Billboard Magazine|Billboard]]'' Club Songs chart, where it had peaked at number 10 alongside the album's hit title track. The song was Marvin's lowest-peaked pop single for the first time in 13 years since the B-side of his "[[Can I Get a Witness]]" titled "I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby", peaking at number 74, ironically three places higher than "I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby", while it was a bigger success on the R&B chart, peaking at number 14.
+''Record World'' praised Gaye's "strong performance" of the song.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=August 7, 1976|title=Hits of the Week|page=1}}</ref>
+The song was Gaye's lowest-peaked pop single for the first time in 13 years since the B-side of his "[[Can I Get a Witness]]" titled "I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby", peaking at number 74,<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Marvin Gaye |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/marvin-gaye/ |access-date=2022-12-12 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> ironically three places higher than "I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby", while it was a bigger success on the R&B chart, peaking at number 14.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
+==Recording==
+The [[Backing track|basic track]] of "After the Dance" was recorded for Gaye with the working title "Don't You Wanna Come?" in September 1975.<ref name=":1" />
+The [[overdubbing]] sessions took place between January 1976 to March 1976.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
 ==Covers==
-The song has since been covered by a legion of [[jazz]] vocalists and groups including [[Fourplay]], who covered it with longtime Gaye admirer, [[rhythm and blues|R&B]] singer [[El DeBarge]], in 1991. Their version was released as a single that year and re-introduced newer listeners to Gaye's original. [[Hall & Oates]] covered the song on their 2004 album ''[[Our Kind of Soul]]''.<ref>[https://secondhandsongs.com/work/6145/all "After the Dance"] at SecondHandSongs.</ref>
+The song has since been covered by a legion of [[jazz]] vocalists and groups including [[Fourplay]], who covered it with longtime Gaye admirer, [[rhythm and blues|R&B]] singer [[El DeBarge]], in 1991.<ref>{{Citation |title=After the Dance by El DeBarge, Fourplay - Track Info {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/after-the-dance-mt0005493112 |language=en |access-date=2022-12-12}}</ref> Their version was released as a single that year and re-introduced newer listeners to Gaye's original.<ref>[https://secondhandsongs.com/work/6145/all "After the Dance"] at SecondHandSongs.</ref>
+[[Hall & Oates]] covered the song on their 2004 album ''[[Our Kind of Soul]]''.<ref>{{Citation |title=Daryl Hall & John Oates - Our Kind of Soul Album {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/our-kind-of-soul-mw0000633275 |language=en |access-date=2022-12-12}}</ref>
+==Personnel==
+Personnel per David Ritz and Harry Weinger.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
+* Lead, background vocals, piano and synthesizer by Marvin Gaye
+* Instrumentation by various studio musicians, some of which include, drummer [[James Gadson]] and flutist [[Ernie Watts]] (featured on the instrumental version)
+* Orchestral arrangements by [[Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson]]
+* Rhythm arrangements by Leon Ware
+* Produced by Leon Ware and Marvin Gaye
+* Recording engineering by [[Art Stewart (producer)|Art Stewart]] and Fred Ross
 ==References==

v t e Marvin Gaye
Studio albums	The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye (1961) That Stubborn Kinda Fellow (1962) When I'm Alone I Cry (1964) Hello Broadway (1964) How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You (1965) A Tribute to the Great Nat "King" Cole (1965) Moods of Marvin Gaye (1966) In the Groove (1968) M.P.G. (1969) That's the Way Love Is (1970) What's Going On (1971) Trouble Man (1972) Let's Get It On (1973) I Want You (1976) Here, My Dear (1978) In Our Lifetime (1981) Midnight Love (1982) Dream of a Lifetime (1985) Romantically Yours (1985) Vulnerable (1997) You're the Man (2019)
Duet albums	Together (with Mary Wells, 1964) Take Two (with Kim Weston, 1966) United (with Tammi Terrell, 1967) You're All I Need (with Tammi Terrell, 1968) Easy (with Tammi Terrell, 1969) Diana & Marvin (with Diana Ross, 1973)
Live albums	Marvin Gaye Recorded Live on Stage (1963) Marvin Gaye Live! (1974) Live at the London Palladium (1977) Marvin Gaye at the Copa (2005) What's Going On Live (2019)
Compilation albums	Greatest Hits (1964) Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (1967) Marvin Gaye and His Girls (1969) Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's Greatest Hits (1970) Super Hits (1970) Anthology (1974) Marvin Gaye's Greatest Hits (1976) Motown Remembers Marvin Gaye: Never Before Released Masters (1986) The Marvin Gaye Collection (1990) The Norman Whitfield Sessions (1994) Love Starved Heart: Rare and Unreleased (1994) The Very Best of Marvin Gaye (1994) The Master (1961–1984) (1995) Marvin Gaye: The Love Songs (2000) The Complete Duets (2001) The Very Best of Marvin Gaye (2001)
Video releases	The Real Thing: In Performance (1964–1981) (2006)
US/UK top-ten singles	"Pride and Joy" "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" "I'll Be Doggone" "Ain't That Peculiar" "Your Precious Love" "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You" "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" "You're All I Need to Get By" "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" "That's the Way Love Is" "Abraham, Martin and John" "The Onion Song" "What's Going On" "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" "Trouble Man" "Let's Get It On" "You Are Everything" "Got to Give It Up" "Sexual Healing"
Family	Marvin Gay Sr. (father) Alberta Gay (mother) Anna Gordy Gaye (first wife) Denise Gordy (son's birth mother) Nona Gaye (daughter) Frankie Gaye (brother) Gordon Banks (brother-in-law)
Related articles	Discography Awards and nominations Songs Albums Songs by Marvin Gaye Albums produced by Marvin Gaye Songs produced by Marvin Gaye Personal life Death Tributes Songs in memory The Marquees Harvey Fuqua Tammi Terrell Leon Ware Marvin's Room Marvin Is 60: A Tribute Album Divided Soul Sexual Healing Tour
Category

v t e Marvin Gaye singles
1960s: (Tamla)	1961 "Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide" 1962 "Sandman" "Soldier's Plea" "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" "Hitch Hike" 1963 "Pride and Joy" "Can I Get a Witness" 1964 "You're a Wonderful One" "Once Upon a Time" "What's the Matter with You Baby" "Try It Baby" "Baby Don't You Do It" "What Good Am I Without You" "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" 1965 "I'll Be Doggone" "Pretty Little Baby" "Ain't That Peculiar" 1966 "One More Heartache" "Take This Heart of Mine" "Little Darling (I Need You)" "It Takes Two" 1967 "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" "Your Unchanging Love" "Your Precious Love" "You" "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You"/"If This World Were Mine" 1968 "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" "You're All I Need to Get By" "Chained" "Keep On Lovin' Me Honey" "You Ain't Livin' till You're Lovin'" "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" 1969 "Good Lovin' Ain't Easy to Come By" "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" "That's the Way Love Is" "Abraham, Martin and John" "What You Gave Me" "How Can I Forget"
1970s: (Tamla)	1970 "Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got" "The Onion Song" "California Soul" "The End of Our Road" 1971 "What's Going On" "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" "Save the Children" 1972 "You're the Man" "Trouble Man" "I Want to Come Home for Christmas" 1973 "Let's Get It On" "You're a Special Part of Me" "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" "Come Get to This" 1974 "You Sure Love to Ball" "My Mistake (Was to Love You)" "Don't Knock My Love" "You Are Everything" "Distant Lover" 1976 "I Want You" "After the Dance" "Since I Had You" 1977 "Got to Give It Up" 1978 "Pops, We Love You (A Tribute to Father)" 1979 "A Funky Space Reincarnation" "Anger" "Ego Tripping Out"
1980s: (Tamla/ Columbia)	1981 "Praise" "Heavy Love Affair" 1982 "Sexual Healing" 1983 "My Love Is Waiting" "'Til Tomorrow" "Joy"
Posthumous	1985 "Sanctified Lady" "It's Madness" "Just Like" 1986 "The World Is Rated X" 1991 "My Last Chance" 1994 "Lucky, Lucky Me" 1995 "This Love Starved Heart Of Mine(It's Killing Me)" 2001 "Music" 2005 "Let's Get It On (The M.P.G. Groove Remix)" 2015 "Where Are We Going"
Category